The United Arab Emirates military, seen here with troops from France and Qatar, rescued the al-Qaida hostage from Yemen.
Photograph: Ahmed Jadallah/Reuters

A 64-year-old British oil worker, held hostage by al-Qaida in Yemen for 18 months, has been rescued by troops from the United Arab Emirates.

Officials had advised the family of Douglas Robert Semple not to complicate matters by going public, so virtually nothing was heard from him apart from a brief video message a year ago in which the begged for help, blindfolded and clearly distressed.

“Please help me to get back to my family,” Semple said then. “I have been captive for seven months and my situation is not good.”

The video was online for barely half an hour before it was removed. But Semple’s wish was finally granted this weekend when UAE forces based in the embattled city of Aden managed to rescue him in what they called a “military intelligence operation”.

British hostage freed in Yemen after 18 months of chaos and power struggles

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The UAE said in a statement it had transported Semple to a safe location in Aden before flying him out on Saturday night to the Emirates capital Abu Dhabi, where he was met by the British ambassador.

It is understood he was taken to a hospital in the country’s capital and was able to speak to his wife in Britain. He will be reunited with her when he is flown back to the UK following medical checks.

The Abu Dhabi crown prince, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan called David Cameron to tell him of Semple’s release.

“I’m so pleased for the family of the British hostage in Yemen – who has been released safe and well,” Cameron later tweeted. “Thanks to the UAE for their help.”

The UAE said the operation showed its firm commitment to fighting terrorism and the country’s close friendship with the UK.

Details of Semple’s imprisonment are yet to emerge, but it is understood he was abducted in the east of Yemen in February 2014. In the brief video, screened on the al Arabiya Hadath news channel last August, he was blindfolded, with only his grey beard and hair visible, and could be heard begging for help.

Semple was an expert in his field and knew and loved the country he had worked in for 30 years, said an employee of his firm Intracs, a UAE oil and gas service provider. He said the whole firm was relieved and overjoyed at the news of his release.

“It was our dream to hear he was out, we thank God that he was located and he is alive,” the employee said. “He is one if the members of our family. It is the best news. Out of Yemen you hear only bad news, but this is the best.”

He said Semple was a like a father to other employees and was a “very gentle guy”.

“He is a very good person. On a personal level he is a great man, he was very nice to everyone,” said the employee. “He is a very hard worker, with a lot of expertise.” Semple had a huge amount of experience, he added: “He loved that country he had no intention to leave, he liked the people very much but what happened was a disaster.”

Semple was released into a very different Yemen to the country he was captured in. Since he was taken, a political transition has foundered, al-Qaida in the Arabian peninsula (AQAP) has grown in strength despite unrelenting US drone strikes and the authority of president Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi has crumbled.

Houthi rebels – Shia from the north allied to Iran – have taken control of the capital Sana’a, prompting military intervention from Saudi Arabia and UAE, both alarmed at the rise of Iranian power across the Middle East.

The coalition fought back against the Houthi assault on Aden and is now advancing into Taiz, Yemen’s third city, with a view to taking back Sana’a, aided by ground troops from the UAE. At the same time, US drone strikes have continued, killing AQAP’s charismatic leader Nasir al-Wuhayshi in an attack earlier this summer.